North Korea threatens 'merciless' strikes
Source: Agencies |
February 20, 2012, Monday
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NORTH Korea threatened yesterday to launch "merciless" strikes against South Korea over its planned live-fire drills near their disputed sea border amid persistent tension on the divided peninsula.
South Korea plans to stage regular one-day artillery drills today from front-line islands off the western coast, including one shelled by North Korea in 2010, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It said South Korea informed North Korea of its training plan yesterday.
Later yesterday, the North's military issued a statement warning of "merciless retaliatory strikes" if the training is implemented.
"Such move of the warlike forces is a premeditated military provocation ... to drive the overall situation on the Korean peninsula into the phase of war," a North Korean western military command said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
In Seoul, an official at the Joint Chiefs said that South Korea's military will go ahead with the planned two-hour artillery drills and is ready to repel any potential North Korean provocation.
The official said North Korea hasn't shown any suspicious military activities so far.
South Korea also plans joint anti-submarine drills with the US this week, but the training site is further south, he said. About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea as what US and South Korean officials call deterrence against North Korean aggression.
South Korea regularly conducts artillery drills from front-line islands.
South Korea plans to stage regular one-day artillery drills today from front-line islands off the western coast, including one shelled by North Korea in 2010, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff. It said South Korea informed North Korea of its training plan yesterday.
Later yesterday, the North's military issued a statement warning of "merciless retaliatory strikes" if the training is implemented.
"Such move of the warlike forces is a premeditated military provocation ... to drive the overall situation on the Korean peninsula into the phase of war," a North Korean western military command said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
In Seoul, an official at the Joint Chiefs said that South Korea's military will go ahead with the planned two-hour artillery drills and is ready to repel any potential North Korean provocation.
The official said North Korea hasn't shown any suspicious military activities so far.
South Korea also plans joint anti-submarine drills with the US this week, but the training site is further south, he said. About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea as what US and South Korean officials call deterrence against North Korean aggression.
South Korea regularly conducts artillery drills from front-line islands.
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